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Making The Best Of A Digital Situation: What Luxury Brands Can Do To Catch Up Online

This article is by Michael Ventura, founder and CEO, Sub Rosa, an experiential marketing agency.

A wide range of mainstream brands and sample sale sites are outpacing their luxury counterparts in the adoption of technology – and in turn, are creating a widening gap that luxury brands will need to address. Luxury brands have been particularly challenged to provide a truly “white glove” online experience. While the online interface can be slick, glossy, premium and elegant, at the end of the day, the consumer is still sitting at a computer or balancing a tablet on her lap. Part of the allure of the luxury lifestyle lies in the elevated human-to-human experience, the special customer service and the care and careful attention to detail that luxury brands exhibit. And these are all things that, despite best efforts, cannot yet be replicated by a machine.

Yet while luxury brands have been arguably slower to embrace the internet, the increase in digital sales, online browsing and brand consideration across the luxury sector generally and in fashion particularly is forcing these brands to reinvent their online offering. With this in mind, the following are online advances that luxury brands can implement to mirror the special experience and high standards that their consumers have come to expect in-store.

Design. Without impeccable design, you instantly lose almost any consumer who is accustomed to shopping in locations where aesthetics play a role. Burberry does a fantastic job at conveying the in-store luxury shopping experience to the digital space. The interface is clean and the fashion is beautifully photographed and displayed. Similar to how a consumer can pick up an object in-store to view it more carefully, the site allows visitors to view a product from various angles and in all available colors, materials and styles.

User Experience. Much like the in-store luxury experience, which is designed with meticulous attention to detail and curated with thoughtfully displayed products, artwork and interior decor, the online experience of a luxury brand should mirror this thoughtfulness and have a similarly elegant feel. Kate Spade has a really effective online portal that perfectly reflects the brand’s in-store experience. The colorful e-commerce site is simple to navigate, features the full collection and even offers consumers a “peek behind the curtain” via its blog, which takes the brand’s aesthetic charm one step further by featuring behind-the-scenes images photos, look books, floral arrangements and even recipes. The site encourages consumers to visit regularly not only to shop, but to also engage with the brand.

Content can also play a powerful role in enhancing the online user experience. Leading luxury fashion brands have a distinct advantage in this area, given that these brands typically have a rich visual heritage, intriguing archival assets and stories, and entrenched celebrity devotees past and present from which to populate a content-rich and enticing digital presence.

Finally, from a technological perspective, luxury brands can enhance user experience by conveying a sense of discretion and reliability, similar to the private banking vernacular, without being exclusionary. For example, state of the art security around customer data, and enabling secure, reliable mobile experience, are important and expected among luxury-minded consumers. In the same way that nobody enjoys rummaging through a messy, disorganized in-store bargain bin, an online luxury experience in particular should never force users through the rote completion of form fields and CAPTCHA requests. It often takes only one negative online experience (be it lost customer data or a frozen website) for a brand to surrender valuable consumer loyalty.

Customer Service. Perhaps the most important consideration, this area is a bit more complicated because it involves the human touch, while remaining largely digital in nature. Zappos, Shopbop and Nordstrom have all raised the bar on customer service – and their best practices have been noticed and adopted by other upstarts, such as Warby Parker, a past client, and Bonobos. While the idea of “luxury” can sometimes imply “unapproachable” (and yes, there are certainly a few luxury stores that do give off an unapproachable vibe), it is essential for online portals to be as consumer-friendly as possible. Brands must convey to consumers – and especially those who are purchasing big-ticket items – that they can easily contact someone (a human) if they have a question about a product or need to discuss an issue. After all, this is how digital brands drive loyalty and brand affinity. The luxury consumer seeks a concierge-type offeringwhere brands meet consumers in their moments of need and frustration, and are able to mitigate their issues with both ease and style. Personally, I favor certain brands over others simply because of the customer service that they afford to their consumers.

In-Store Experience. Integrating digital into the in-store experience is another way for luxury brands to provide a seamless transition between the two. Everything from multi-touch surfaces and near-field recognition, to digital browsing and virtual try-ons have begun to make their alpha-appearances at retail. While these are still early days and it will take some time for the adoption and change of entrenched consumer behavior to take hold, we will get there. It’s inevitable. In fact, a luxury brand at the forefront of this in-store experience will help solidify its image as a leader.

Just take a look at any child who walks up to a TV screen and tries to swipe it to the next channel. We are a generation in flux, and current and future generations of luxury shoppers are demanding that brands adapt to our consumption habits. Given all of the advancements over the past 10 years, the time is ripe for luxury brands to take advantage of – and even to lead -these evolving demands to create a more seamless consumer experience at the intersection of technology, culture and commerce.

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